The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-18
Looking Toward the Highest Court.

! Looking Toward the Highest Court
When the decision of the Illinois Supreme
Court in the case of tine Chicago Anarchists
was made known to Capt. Black, their
| leading lawyer, he said that an effort would
/ be made to get the case before the United
| States Supreme Court. Not much atten
| ton was paid to this remark, because it was
not believed that there were any grounds
upon which the latter court could obtain
jurisdiction of the case. 1t seems that Gen.
Roger A. Pryor, of New York, whose SER
vices have been solicited in behalf of the
Anarchists, believes that there is chance
for getting the case reversed by that court
In an interview in the Herald he expresses
the opinion that the Supreme Court of the
United States has the right to review it,
, and says that he will guarantee to get it
into that court
The constitution of the United States says
that man shall not be convicted without due
process of law, and Gen. Pryor's plan,
DOUBTLESS, is to apply to the court for writ
of error on the ground that the Anarchists
were not convicted by due process of law.
But he will have to allege wherein they did
not have the benefit Of due process of law,
and it will be very difficult for him to find
anything upon which to base such an allega-
ton. He cites California case to show
that there is a precedent for the course it is
proposed to pursue. A man was convicted
of murder in that State on an information
filed by the prosecuting attorney In an
application to the Supreme Court for writ
So III IL
convicted by due process of law, because
he had not been indicted by grand jury
The writ was granted and the case reviewed,
but the verdict was not disturbed 1t was
held that the man had been convicted by
due process of law. By due process of law
is meant, of course, in accordance with the
laws of the State in which a trial takes
place.
There does not seem to be any question
that the Anarchists were tried strictly in
accordance with the laws of Illinois Or
course the Supreme Court would not under
take to inquire whether the jury was preju-
diced, or whether evidence was admitted
that ought to have been ruled out, or
whether any one of the other minor matters
concerning which exceptions were taken
were ruled upon correctly
Naturally the question arises whether
Jacob Sharp can get his case before the
United States Supreme Court if that of the
Anarchists can be got there. There is a
suspicion that his lawyers intend to carry
it to all the courts they can. If the Su-
preme Court of New York renders a decis-
ion adverse to him he will then go to the
Court of Appeals of that State, and if he
meets with no success there, it may be that
he win try to get writ of error from the
Supreme Court at Washington. During
his trial his lawyers took some exceptions
which they said involved constitutional
questions, and it may be that even then
they were preparing the way for going to
the highest court in the land 1t begins
to look as if he would have plenty of time to
reach extreme old age and die, before it is
decided whether or not he is to go to the
penitentiary.
AS gathered from the public prints, the
impression does not prevail very generally
among lawyers that writ of error can be
obtained from the United States Supreme
Court in the case of the Anarchists, and if
one should be obtained, the chances that the
judgment of the court which convicted
them will be interfered with, are so remote
as to be scarcely worth considering